Apparatus for applying liquid size to pottery ware



Oct. 5, 1948. w. J. MILLER APPARATUS FOR APPLYING LIQUID SIZE TO POTTERYWARE Original Filed Aug. 21, 1941 2 Sheets-Sheet l INVENTOR. WILLIAM JM/LLER 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 INVENTOR.

N Q L Q .Q R13. w\ N Oct. 5, 1948. w. J. MILLER APPARATUS FOR APPLYINGLIQUID SIZE TO POTTERY WARE Original Filed Aug. 21, 1941 W141. lA M J.MILLER Patented Oct. 1948 APPARATUS FOR APPLYING LIQUID SIZE TO POTTERYWARE William J. .Miller, Swissvale, Pa., assignor to Miller PotteryEngineering Company, Swissvale, 1 21., a corporation of PennsylvaniaOriginal application August 21, 1941, Serial No.

407,733. Divided and this application December 10, 1942,, Serial No.468,514

2 Claims.

This is a divisional of my co-pending application for United StatesLetters Patent No. 407,733 filed August 21, 1941.

This application has to do with apparatus for applying liquid size toarticles such as potteryware dishes, cups and saucers and the likepreparatory to decorating by applying decalcomania transfers thereto.

Heretofore, it has been customary to brush or daub a sticky liquid onthe surface of the potteryware which receives the decalcomania. It isthe object of the present invention to accomplish this operationautomatically in order to save time and material and also to insure amore uniform coating of the ware piece with size. In this way, thedegree of tackiness will be more or less uniform over the entire surfaceto be decorated on the ware and other advantages will be noted as thedescription progresses.

In the drawings:

Fig. 1 is an elevation of a decalcomania applying machinediagrammatically illustrating my size applying apparatus being used inconjunction therewith.

Fig. 2 is a detail partly in section of the size applying apparatus ofthis invention.

Fig. 3 is a detail showing another form of device for applying size tothe ware.

My co-pending application comprehends a complete system for applyingdecalcomania decoration to the ware which includes such apparatus as aWare feeder which loads the ware conveyor that carries the ware to asizing station, a drying station, decal cutting and applying station, awashing station and a Ware unloading station. The present invention hasto do with the size-applying apparatus only and it will suflice to saythat the ware to be sized is delivered by a conveyor 2 to thesize-applying apparatus on trays 4 having laterally spaced seats whichaccommodate difierent sizes of ware.

Each tray load of ware is brought to a size applying station where aplurality of size applying members 9 are arranged transversely of theconveyor, which is lowered into contact with the plate to apply the sizeand then is raised. Each applicator is in the form of a hollow headhaving a perforated bottom portion Ill conforming generally to the faceof the ware and having a facing II of porous resilient material, such asfelt, also conforming to the were face.

The size is supplied to the head 9 as it is raised from a supply tank I2by way of a force-feed charging and measuring device I 4 for determiningthe proper amount of size to be supplied to the head 9. Generally, thecharging device is in the form of a pump having a check valve controlledoutlet l5, see Fig. 2, connected with the head 9 through a flexibleconduit It: and having a check valve controlled inlet I! connected withthe bottom of the supply tank through a conduit [8. The felt facingbecomes saturated with size and when pressed against the ware leaves afilm of size on the surface thereof. The pump replenishes the sizeabsorbed from the chamber by the felt.

Said pump, Fig. 2, comprises an upright cylindrical casing it withinwhose bottom end the outlet !5 and inlet I1 are located. Within thecasing it operates a piston 20 secured to the bottom end of a piston rod2|, which is reciprocated by having a sliding pivotal connection withthe free end of a lever 22 operated in turn by a cam 23 on acontinuously rotating shaft 24, and engaging a roller on the lever 22.The shaft 24 completes one revolution for each movement of the conveyor2 and is so timed that it will cause the piston to raise and draw intothe chamber portion therebelow a given amount of size from the tank [2as the applicator head '9 is lowered and whereby the piston will belowered as the head -9 is raised to force the measured quantity of sizein the pump chamber into the head 9. To regulate the range ofreciprocation of the piston 20 in determining the desired quantity ofsize to be drawn by the piston into the pump chamber and then fed to thehead 9, the lever 22 has an adjustable set screw 26 which limits thedownward movement of the lever by engaging one of four adjustable stopsor bolts 21 equally spaced about the hub of the four-pointed star wheel28 of a Geneva motion device.

The star wheel 28 is rotated a quarter turn for every completerevolution of the shaft 24 by a lever 29 on said shaft having a pin 30operating in one of the radial slots 3| formed in the points of thewheel. When the production in a particular line or lines isnon-diversified, then as in the present case, the stops 2.! are adjusteduniformly above the axis of the wheel 28. Thus each stroke delivers thesame quantity of size. However, if the production is diversified, thestops 2'! may be adjusted at different heights from the axis of thewheel 28 in order to regulate the range of reciprocation of the piston20 and varying quantities of size will be delivered according to therequirements of the various pieces in sequence in I the production line.

32 having a piston 33 operating within a cylinder 34. Fluid underpressure is alternately supplied to the cylinder 34 at opposite sides ofthe piston 33 from a suitable source by a pump 35 through the slidevalve device 36. The valve 36 includes a Valve cylinder 31 having aninlet port 38 connected by a conduit 39 to the outlet of the pump 35 andhas a pair of outlets 40 and 4| in its opposite side connected byconduits 42 and 43 to the opposite ends of the chamber of the cylinder.

34. A valve member 44 operates within the valve cylinder 31 with asingle port 45 therein alternately establishing communication betweenthe inlet 36 and the outlets 40 and 4| to cause reciprocation of thepiston 33. Suitable vent ports 46 and 47 are provided in the valvecylinder 31 and valve member 44 respectively to properly vent oppositeend portions of the cylinder 34 during operation.

Generally, the valve member 44 is operated by a can 43 on a constantlyrotating shaft 49 and arranged to alternately engage rollers 50 providedon the sides of the head 51 of the valve member. The head has alongitudinal slot 52 through which the shaft 49 freely extends. A spring51a is connected to the head 5| and the cylinder housing 3'! for anobvious purpose.

Shaft 49, which is continuously driven by chain I93 connected to a mainpower shaft I92 of the machine, Figures 1 and 2, also drives shaft 24 bymeans of sprocket chain I95. Thus the drive between the two shafts isco-ordinated so as to cause the size to be fed to the applying head intimed relation with the up and down movement thereof and theintermittent movement of conveyor 2.

If desired, the size may be sprayed onto the surface of the ware bymeans of a spray gun 8a, see Fig. 3, which may be intermittentlyoperated by such a suitable cam actuated slide valve device as justdescribed.

The present method and apparatus may be used to size dinner or tablewareother than ware composed of pottery clay, for instance glass, metal orother composition. The invention is shown and described in connectionwith decorating fired pottery ware but it will be understood that theterm and the like as used in the claims may designate table ordinnerware made of other compositions just mentioned.

I claim:

1. Apparatus for applying decalcomania size to fired potteryware and thelike comprising, in combination, a ware support, a size applying memberthereabove, means for moving said support and said member relative toone another to elTect a size applying operation, a source of sizesupply, a pump having a piston for delivering size from the source ofsupply to said member, means for varying the stroke of the pump pistonto thereby vary the amount of size delivered by the pump, and a drivefor co-ordinating the operation of said first named means and said pump.

2. Apparatus for applying decalcomania size to fired potteryware and thelike comprising, in

combination, a ware support, a size applying member, means for movingsaid support and said member relative to one another to effect a sizeapplying operation, a source of size supply, a pump having a piston fordelivering size from the source of supply to said member, means forautomatically varying the amount of size delivered on successive strokesof the pump piston and drive means for co-ordinating the operation ofsaid first named means and said pump.

WILLIAM J. MILLER.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file ofthis patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 932,610 Hodgson Aug. 31, 19091,162,349 Goldsmith Nov. 30, 1915 1,553,660 Arcy Sept. 15, 19251,697,274 Gillis Jan. 1, 1929 1,782,450 Taylor Nov. 25, 1930 2,062,900Nagy Dec. 1, 1936 2,166,268 Simmons July 18, 1939 2,203,572 Johnson June4, 1940 2,213,426 Anderson et al Sept. 3, 1940 2,229,116 Nagy Jan. 21,1941 2,244,651 Goebel et al June 3, 1941 2,265,531 Laxer Dec. 9, 19412,324,433 Scheetz July 13, 1943 2,333,557 Fischer Nov. 2, 1943 FOREIGNPATENTS Number Country Date 549,940 France Dec. 1, 1922

